Bangkok

...So David stayed in Bangkok, whilst Helen departed to Koh Samui with several of the group. It was odd after 3 months of spending day in, day out together to be going separate ways and waving goodbye.
At 'Arrivals' there is a new addition waiting to greet the group as our final Oz Busser Stu joins us, and he's a friend of Vicky's. The remaining group get on to a new bus as it's a new country and make our way to the City. It's a few days after the flooding but there is some residue, that we've been able to see in some of the fields from the air.
During the stay in Bangkok a few relationships formed through the Oz Bus become visibly clearer.
On the first full day David went on an informal walking tour with Matt, Allen and Laura visiting some of the sights. Chinatown, going to the rivers edge to see the burst banks of the recent flooding and visiting parks with public exercise machines, that unlike the ones at home in Northampton, hadn't been vandalised. The park detour took us past a cycle hire station – a free scheme in Bangkok city and the decision is instantly made for the group to return with ID tomorrow to take a ride. The following day, the original walkers are joined by Isabelle and take the tour around the City following most of the route, some of which is on dedicated cycle lanes on and off road, but also making our own way in the city traffic – which is encouragingly accommodating of cyclists. After a day on the cycle David decides to go for an hours worth of Thai massage with Matt and Allen. What a sight to behold in their massage tops and bottoms as their limbs and bodies are pulled apart, clicked and clapped. Afterwards, the trio leave the site in a bit of a daze, but manage to recover enough to spend the evening celebrating Janets Birthday with the oddest cake ever! A trip to the MBK centre the following day is, of course, taken on bikes and the cycling group has expanded even further! The longer journey is rewarded by free secure parking at the MBK and supplies are brought for the long day on the bus the following day.
It is a long one, but we are lucky enough to get there an hour before schedule meaning that we catch the 4pm ferry instead of the 5pm one. As it's stormy the group are informed that it will likely be 2 hours instead of the usual and hour and a half. David gets talking to a guy who has a Thai wife and child, who informs him that there's a storm coming in and this will probably be the last ferry of the evening and asks...'why are you going to Koh Samui in the rainy season?' This turns out to be a significant question.